Sword Art Online: Reverse Return
by My Virtual Sword
Summary: Just before Kirito accepts defeat at the hands of Sugou, Kayaba appears before him. He doesn't give him his admin rights, however. Instead, he gives him a second chance to set everything right. Stripped of his memories, Kirito is forced to go through everything again… or is he? With every new decision, his new life strays further and further away from his original legacy. Harem
1. A Second Chance

Sword Art Online: Reverse/Return

Chapter One: A Second Chance

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**I told you guys this was coming in the latest chapter of **_**Blades **__**of **__**Darkness**_**, and here it is! I won't spoil much other than where the story starts, though it should be obvious by the title and chapter name where this is leading.**

**The story starts just before Kayaba Akihiko confronts Kirito and gives him his username and password. In this rendition, instead of giving him his admin account, Kayaba gives him something else entirely.**

**That's all I have to say for now, so I'll see you at the bottom!**

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><p><em>Is this my punishment…?<em>

I thought this as I lay on the ground, my own sword pierced through my back. I couldn't move; the gravity had been set to a high setting so that it took all my strength just to lift a finger. Getting up and removing my blade would be an impossible feat.

Everything had gone white. I could no longer see that bastard while he played with Asuna's avatar like it was a doll meant to be sexed up. I must have been hallucinating in my final moments before my HP ran out, and with it, so would any chances I had at saving Asuna.

_My punishment for thinking that I was the game's strongest hero? That I could save her alone… even though my power isn't real?_

I felt tears come to my eyes as I lowered my head, having just run out of the strength I needed to keep it up off the ground by a mere inch. I knew this was it; in about a minute, my HP would run out completely, and I would most likely respawn somewhere else.

"Are you going to run away?"

_What?_

This voice didn't belong to me. It didn't belong to Asuna or Sugou, the only other people that were around me before I began to see nothing but white. It sounded familiar, but warped, like a twisted version of…

His_ voice…_

"Are you going to run away?" the voice repeated, sounding as if it had gotten closer than before.

I decided to answer it truthfully. Or at least, with the answer I thought was the truth. "No… I'm just going to accept reality."

"So you're giving in to the power of a system you once denied, and even overcame?"

At these words, I knew that it was him. The man whose world had taken the lives of thousands, the world I had destroyed with a single blade. This man must have thought that I still possessed the power to overcome the limits of an all-powerful system that controlled this very world.

He was wrong.

"What choice do I have?" I asked him, my voice cracking ever so slightly. "I'm just a player, and he's a GM. He's the one with all the power here."

"Those words make a mockery of our battle."

By now, the voice had gotten close, incredibly so. It sounded as if the owner of the voice was right next to me. _What's he trying to say?_ I thought as I turned my head to look up at him out of the corner of my eyes.

I saw what I expected to see. He wasn't the almighty Heathcliff, the person I had fought to save six-thousand players. Instead, he was a tall, lanky, brown-haired man in a white lab coat.

"Our battle taught me the power of the human will," he said, his voice no longer warped. "And the possibilities that the future holds. But if you can't understand that…"

Though I didn't have the strength to look up enough to see his face, I somehow knew that he was looking at me with admonishing eyes.

"Then maybe going back to the past will enlighten you."

"What are you saying?" I asked this man, eyes widening in shock and fear.

As if he didn't even hear me, the lab coat-clad man continued on. "But you, and everyone else, will have to pay a great price."

"What do you mean?" I asked him again, eyes widening even more. "What price?"

"Your memories," he replied, voice devoid of emotion. "In exchange for having your memories sealed, and everyone else's taken away, you will be given a second chance. A chance to set things right."

"And what if I decline?" I queried, even though I knew I wouldn't.

"How naïve," he scolded. "I never said I would give you a choice."

"What?"

As soon as I finished talking, my vision grew hazy. _What's going on?!_ I thought frantically, trying desperately to get up and face him.

"Farewell, Kirito," he said, beginning to walk away. "We won't remember each other, but we will meet again."

With those words as his parting message, Kayaba Akihiko disappeared, leaving only darkness in his wake.

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><p>"Klein, listen for a sec," I said, trying to break his blank expression and make him hear me out. The dim light of the setting sun cast a dark shadow upon my face, giving me a look of grave seriousness that snapped him out of his stupor.<p>

"I'm going to go to the next village," I continued, opening up my menu and manipulating it until I put a hologram of the first floor between us. "If what Kayaba Akihiko said is true, and I know it is, then we need to strengthen ourselves as much as possible in order to survive in this world.

"MMORPGs are a battle for resources between players," I began to explain, looking up from the map to face my redheaded friend. "Only the players who can get the most money and EXP can get stronger. The smart ones who realized this will be out in a matter of hours, hunting the area around the «Starting City» until there's nothing left. It'll take forever for the monsters to respawn, and at this point, every minute spent idly is a minute you could have used to advance and strengthen yourself."

I looked back down at the map I had brought up, pointing to our current location and then moving my finger to my destination, the next village. "Going to the next village right now would be the best choice. I know the way there and all the dangerous areas to avoid, so even if I'm level one, I can get us there safely."

Considering my nature, that was a very long speech. And yet, Klein still didn't respond, as if he hadn't even heard me. Just before I asked if he was listening, his face took on a sad frown.

"But… you know, I said already that I spent days waiting in line with my friends to buy this game," he finally responded. Then, his face drained of color, and he nearly shouted, "They're probably still in the «Plaza», freaking out like everyone else! I have to help them!"

Silence.

I already understood exactly what he was implying with his desperate gaze. He was nice, bright and easy to get along with, and he probably took care of his friends pretty well. I knew he wanted me to take his friends with us. Even so…

I just couldn't nod. I couldn't accept such great responsibility.

If I were just bringing Klein, I could easily get to the next village while protecting him from any stronger, more aggressive monsters. _But two more… no, even one more…_

If one of them died along the way, they would die for real, just as Kayaba Akihiko made painfully clear in the tutorial not ten minutes before. And then, the blame would undoubtedly fall onto me, the one who decided to head for the next city and failed to protect my comrade from harm.

Such a burden was not one I could carry with me. I wouldn't be able to carry on normally, knowing that it was my fault that someone died in this cruel world.

When I looked up, I knew that Klein had read the firestorm of emotions raging within my mind. An apologetic smile crossed his slightly bearded face as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"No, I can't just keep relying on you all the time," he told me, giving me a thumbs-up. "I used to be a guild master in the mast MMO I played, so we'll be able to get by using the skills you taught me. So go on, get your butt to the next village."

Suddenly, I felt myself desperately wanting to help him and his friends. At the same time, I was afraid. Afraid of what might happen if one of his friends were to die under my watch. I was wracked with a feeling of indecision so great that it tore me apart inside, until only my instinct to survive remained.

"… Okay."

I nodded, stepped back, and said these words filled with sorrow. "We'll part here. If anything happens, send me a message."

"Will do," Klein smiled, his tone telling me all I needed to know.

He didn't blame me.

"All right… take care," I said, turning around to leave with downcast eyes. "I'll see you around, Klein."

"Kirito!"

I heard him call my name just before I started walking. I thought he was about to tell me to stay, to take back what he said. And, truth be told, I probably would have complied at that moment.

When I turned my head so I could see him out of the corner of my inquisitive eye, he said nothing; he looked like he wanted to say something, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. I waved with my left hand and turned to leave once more, stopping yet again when I heard him call my name.

"Kirito!" he shouted, trying to sound playful. "Your real self looks way better than your avatar! Totally my type!"

I swallowed my bitterness, forcing out a smile as I turned around to face him. "And that rugged face of yours suits you ten times better, too!"

I turned back to the alleyway, running forward for a bit before turning around, hoping against hope that he had decided to come with me, to follow me instead of selflessly helping his friends. Of course, I found nothing; no trace of him stayed behind in the cobblestone streets where he had once stood.

I ignored the pain in my chest and the tears blurring my vision, beginning to run ceaselessly through the streets in pursuit of the next village. I reached the gate in no time at all, running through it without hesitation.

As I ran, I remembered my sister earlier that day, saying she was off to kendo practice before leaving. She had probably heard the news and rushed straight to my side, crying with my mother over my essentially comatose body.

_I've got this!_

I grit my teeth after stumbling on a rock on the path I ran on, reminding me of the pebble I used to demonstrate «Sword Skills» to Klein earlier that day.

_I can do this!_

I saw a mid-level «Wolf» monster spawn several meters ahead of me. I drew my sword with a mighty shout, putting it in the position to activate a dash-type skill as the beast immediately began charging at me in turn.

_This world can't beat me!_

"RAAAH!"

With a scream of fury, I jumped into the air, unleashing my «Sword Skill» upon the monster without a second thought. In an instant, I cut through the pitiful «Wolf», leaving it to shatter as I flew past it. I continued to run at a high speed even after my skill stopped, hell-bent on achieving my goal.

_I will survive!_

"RAAAAAAAH!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**Yeah, I know that fics dealing with time itself aren't exactly new in this archive anymore, but I like to think that, at the very least, this one is slightly different from most of them. You see, this isn't time **_**travel**_**, but the rewinding of time itself. It's been done, but not nearly as often as people traveling through time.**

**So yeah, this idea isn't completely original. Sue me. Still, the best stories almost always steal things from other works. (I don't remember who said that, but I remember it being a published author.)**

**Just in case you're wondering, I don't plan to time-skip around a lot like the mainline story does. I plan to take things relatively slowly in terms of floor clearing, so this will have a **_**lot**_** of chapters by the time I'm done with it.**

**I guess that's it. Now, onto the disclaimer!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations (though I do own the Taiwanese/English version of Hollow Fragment), or any of the ideas, characters, items or anything else I use from them!**

**Ciao!**


	2. The First Day Part I

Sword Art Online: Reverse/Return

Chapter Two: The First Day Part I

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**Okay, this got out a little earlier than I expected. But that's good, because now I can tell you about what's going to happen in the future of this fic. You'll see what I mean in the bottom note, but I assure you, it's not a spoiler.**

**Anyway, I should probably inform you that this chapter, as well as the following few chapters, will be based heavily on the story from the source material, known as, **_**The First Day**_**. I'm not directly copying anything, but I'm still making the chapter resemble the story very closely. This is only part one, since the whole thing would probably end up being over ten-thousand words.**

**So yeah, that's about it for this note! See you at the bottom!**

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><p>A death game.<p>

There is no precise definition for such a phrase. If it were simply considered a match involving bodily risks, then the definition would include martial arts, rock climbing, sky diving, and even motor sports. There is but one thing, one condition that separates true death games from these dangerous activities and sports.

Having the absolute penalty of death listed as one of the rules of play.

But not as the result of an accident. A forced death, one served as the consequences of the player's mistakes and defeat, or possibly as punishment for violating the rules. In short, a murder.

With this premise established, the world's first VRMMORPG, known as «Sword Art Online», had now unquestionably become a death game. A mere twenty minutes ago, its creator, and as such, its ruler, Kayaba Akihiko, had personally appeared before all of the players and made that clear declaration without the slightest hint of doubt.

The declaration that if your HP were to reach zero – that is, on defeat – then you would be killed. And also that if the «Nerve Gear» were to be removed, thus violating the rules of play, you would also be killed.

It didn't feel real. Well, it's not like it should have; the whole thing seemed so outlandish. Even now, countless suspicions, countless doubts, raged around in my mind like a fiery storm of anger, disbelief, and most of all, fear.

_Is something like that even possible? The device he used, the «Nerve Gear», was just a gaming machine fit for households, so how could it have the power to destroy the brains of human beings?_

_And even if it could, why would he do something like this? Holding players hostage in a virtual world for ransom would make some degree of sense. But putting the lives of the players at stake just to see his game cleared? That doesn't do him any good; there's nothing he could get out of it. If anything, doing this made him lose all the good rep he had as a game designer and quantum physicist, effectively making him into the worst criminal ever recorded in history._

_I don't get it. It just doesn't make sense._

These were but a few of the thoughts that flew through my mind with wings of fire, launching even more unsettling thoughts into any space left in my brain. And yet, despite the chaos raging within my mind and soul, my instincts understood the situation painfully clearly.

Kayaba Akihiko's proclamation held no lies whatsoever. The nature of the stage where SAO takes place, the floating castle known as «Aincrad», had changed, warped from a parallel world filled to the brim with passion and excitement, into a cruel cage of death trapping ten-thousand innocent people within. The words he has uttered at the end of his tutorial, that the situation itself was his goal; those words were most likely his real intentions, as maddening as it sounds.

Merely for the sake of realizing his death game, the insane genius known as Kayaba Akihiko created «Sword Art Online», and thus, had created the «Nerve Gear».

It was because of that belief that I, a level one kid with only a one-handed sword to defend myself, am presently running as if my life depends on it. Running all by myself, in the middle of the vast prairie. I abandoned the first friend I made in this world, all for one thing…

To keep myself alive.

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><p>The floating castle known as «Aincrad» was made up of one-hundred circular floors, each one narrowly piled on top of the ones before it. The floors were wide in the lower sections, slowly narrowing as they rose in number, making the castle as a whole take the shape of a cone.<p>

The diameter of the first and widest floor amounted to ten kilometers. The main settlement, or in other words, the largest city of the first floor, the «Starting City», reached out in a semi-circle with a diameter of one kilometer on the southern tip of the floor.

Tall castle walls stood guard along the edges of the city, effectively reducing the chances of monsters invading to a safe zero. Though it didn't really matter, for the insides of the city were guarded by the «Anti-Criminal Code», which made it impossible for a player's HP, which had now become their actual life force, to fall by a single pixel. To put it in laymen's terms, if one were to stay in the «Starting City», they would have no chance of death whatsoever.

However, despite the inviting idea of remaining safe, I made the choice to leave the city as soon as Kayaba Akihiko ended the tutorial.

There were several reasons for this decision that might have seemed reckless and downright stupid to most people at the time. The lack of confidence in the «Anti-Criminal Code» remaining in effect forever. The desire to avoid the discord and mistrust that would surely be forming between the other players, even as I ran. But, most of all, the determination and tenacity to level up and become stronger of an MMO gamer, ingrained in my very core.

If I wanted to level up, there would be no time to stand around idly in the «Starting City» and the areas near it. The relatively safe grassy fields surrounding the city would very likely be soon filled with players who decided to exit the «Safe Area» like myself. I'd give it a couple of hours at best before the fields would be hunted clean of all mobs.

The monster spawn rate in SAO was fixed to a certain amount within a certain time frame that varied with each different area. After the initial targets in the immediate surroundings of the «Starting City» were hunted down, the players would go into a frenzy, searching for the newest monster that had respawned, and from that point forward, occasionally stealing targets from others would certainly become an unavoidable consequence, which, of course, would lead to conflicts between players.

To avoid such annoyances, as well as to have an effective leveling rate, I deemed it necessary to set my sights beyond the relatively safe areas surrounding the «Starting City».

Of course, if one did not have any sense of direction, then doing that in a game they just started would essentially be suicide. For me, however, this was no danger; due to a certain reason, although it only applied to the first ten floors, I already knew many things – things such as the layout of the floors, and even the types of monsters that appear in SAO, which officially went online earlier that day.

Northwest of the «Starting City», through the vast grasslands and a maze-like path within a forest, a village named «Horunka» resided. This was my destination. Though it may have been small, it still had an inn, a weapon shop and a tool shop within the «Safe Area» that it provided the players. In the forest surrounding it, there were no monsters which had skills to paralyze, poison, or destroy the equipment of players, so it would be hard for even a solo player like me to die from getting overwhelmed by enemies.

With the village of «Horunka» as my first base, I would be able to raise my level from one to five before the change of date. The time was six-fifteen in the afternoon. The grasslands to the west of the village were dyed golden in the setting sun from the outer walls of «Aincrad» itself, while the forest to the east was bathed in a pale blue light by the dusk quickly settling in. Luckily for me, even at night, strong monsters would not spawn around this village. If I hunted nonstop until the next change of day, I would gain enough stats and equipment to safely head for the next location before «Horunka» filled up with the players behind me.

"Selfishness can be helpful, too, huh… man, I'm the walking definition of a solo player."

As I ran with all my might towards my destination, I whispered this in a humorous tone. Why?

If I didn't make a joke about it, then the fear and self-hatred threatening to make themselves known in my voice would have no chance of ever being destroyed.

If only that friendly curved sword user were at my side right then. Helping him level up, as well as assuring his survival… those honorable acts would probably have been enough to wash away at least some of these feelings of guilt. Hell, most of my guilt stemmed from not doing that in the first place anyway.

_That's right… I abandoned him. Some friend I am._

I deserted my only friend in this world, Klein, in the alleys of the «Starting City». Well, to be more accurate, I invited him to head towards «Horunka» with me, but he turned me down, telling me he couldn't leave the comrades who were in the guild he led in a previous game.

Then let's bring them, too. That proposal was the one he wanted me to make. However, I just couldn't suggest it. Unlike the grasslands where only wild boars and caterpillars that could be defeated even by a level one player appeared, the forest beyond had more dangerous breeds of monsters that spawned such as poisonous bees or predatory plants. One slip up, and your HP could drop to zero in a flash… in other words, one could die after just one mistake in battle.

The chances of Klein's friends ending up dead— no, the reaction of Klein the moment that it happened… that was what I was afraid of. I didn't want to be haunted by the weight of their deaths, I didn't want to be hurt. With that belief and nothing else in my mind, I abandoned the one who reached out to me, the one who invited me to play as a party for the first time in this world.

"Damn it…"

Feelings of disgust for myself, made worse by my self-torturing monologue, swelled up from the recesses of my mind. I gritted my teeth, forcing my right hand to grip the sword equipped onto my back.

In a clump of bushes slightly ahead a single blue wild boar spawned not a second later. They were non-aggressive monsters, so I had planned to ignore them all until I got through the grasslands, but I needed something to take out my anger on. Out of impulse, I unsheathed the simple straight sword from my starting equipment, assuming the initial motion for a single hit sword skill, «Slant».

Reacting to being targeted, the wild boar turned and glared at me, violently tearing at the ground with its right foreleg to assume the motion for a charge attack. I knew that if I were to falter here, stopping the charging of my skill, I would end up receiving large amounts of damage instead of the «Boar». With the mixed feeling of calmness and irritation towards myself, I glared back at the monster, unleashing my skill towards its weak point: the back of its neck.

The blade of my sword faintly glowed a light blue, and along with a sharp sound effect, my virtual body moved swiftly on its own accord. The «System Assist», a trait unique to «Sword Skills», directed my slash towards my target. While taking care not to go against the movement of the skill, I intentionally accelerated my leg and right arm, increasing the momentum and power of the skill.

The stats of my level one avatar, along with the specifications of my starting equipment, was obviously extremely weak. Even so, if a boosted «Slant» were to deal a critical hit at the weak point of the blue wild boar, officially dubbed the «Frenzy Boar», its HP reduced in a single hit would be just over what it actually had.

The slash that I unleashed that head-on struck the mane area of the already-charging «Frenzy Boar» returned a strong recoil, sending the beast violently flying backwards by a total of one meter and twenty centimeters.

With a terrified scream, it bounced off the ground, stopping unnaturally in the air. With the sound effect of shattering glass, along with a flash of blue light, the wild boar turned into thousands of polygon fragments before exploding.

I didn't even cast a solitary glance at the window indicating the EXP added, and the ingredient items now in my inventory; I knew it would disappear in a few seconds. Without even stopping for a moment's rest, I walked right through the drifting light effect. Even after killing the «Frenzy Boar», I didn't feel even a fraction better. Angrily forcing my sword into the scabbard on my back angrily, I saw the dark forest I had been running for in the distance, prompting me to run as fast as my «Agility» stat would allow.

It goes without saying that I took great caution in the forest to avoid the «Reaction Radius» of the monsters lurking about, yet I still ran down the path as fast as I could, determined to reach my destination.

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><p>I arrived at «Horunka Village» just before the sun finally set. I quickly surveyed the village of a mere ten buildings, including both private houses and shops, from its entrance. The color cursors all around my field of vision were all marked as being those of NPCs, confirming that I was the first player to arrive. However, thinking about it now, it was to be expected. After all, I did dash off at full speed with barely any conversation the moment that Kayaba finished his tutorial.<p>

The first objective would be to head for the weapon shop facing the narrow plaza. Before the start of the tutorial, Klein and I hunted down several monsters, leaving me with several materials and ingredients in my item storage. I had no desire or reason to level up any production-type skills, so I could sell them off to the shopkeeper NPC without a second thought.

Using nearly all my gold, which had increased somewhat from the sale of my items, I bought a brown leather coat with a decent defense stat. I touched the instant equip button that comes after buying an equipment-type item as soon as it appeared.

Over the white linen shirt and gray leather vest that composed my initial equipment, a long, brown leather coat that exuded a sense of durability appeared, releasing a small light effect. My breath caught for a moment as I dwelled in the slightly increased sense of stability, before glancing to my left at the large full-length mirror installed onto the weapon shop's south wall.

"Is that… me?"

I unconsciously muttered these words, causing the elderly shopkeeper NPC polishing a dagger's scabbard at the counter to raise his eyebrows before returning straight back to work.

The avatar reflected in the mirror, aside from height and gender, was a far cry from the Kirito that I went through hours to design.

The body was thin and slender, without a single trace of masculinity in the facial features. Long, black bangs framed the face. The eyes, too, were black, or possibly even darker. An appearance that mirrored my own in real life, recreated with an astounding level of detail.

Just imagining this avatar, with what the previous Kirito wore, equipping gleaming metal armor, sent a vehement spasm of denial surging through my entire body. Luckily, in SAO, even with lightweight leather equipment, speed-type one-handed sword users could attain sufficient defense. Of course, they had no chance of becoming tanks, the players who could draw the monster's attention to themselves, but there was no need for a tank built if you were a solo player.

_You know what? From now on, I'll stick to leather equipment as long as the situation allows it. It goes without saying that they'll be as plain looking as possible. I don't want to attract any unwanted attention._

Making this vow in my mind, I departed from the weapon shop. With my «Buckler» set aside for the moment, my weapon still remained the initial sword. Rushing into the tool shop next door, I hurriedly bought as many health and antidote potions as my currents funds would allow, bringing my money to an absolute zero.

There was a reason why I didn't purchase a new weapon to replace my initial one. The only one-handed straight sword sold in this village, the «Bronze Sword», had more power than my initial weapon, the «Small Sword», but its durability dropped easily, and it was weak against the corrosive liquid fired from plant monsters as well. If one were to face them frequently, staying with he «Small Sword» was the best choice. Even so, it's not like I could keep using the weak initial sword forever, as its stats were still low, and it still had a low maximum durability. Leaving the tool shop, I dashed towards a private house deeper in the village and made it there in no time at all.

Stirring a pot in the kitchen, an NPC that gave the impression of a village missus turned to look at me and spoke. "Good evening, journeying swordsman," she said in a kind voice. "I do wish to offer you food, but I do not have any at the moment. All I can give you is a single cup of water."

Without missing a beat, I answered her, pronouncing my words clearly so that the system would recognize it. "That will be fine."

To be frank, a simple, "That's fine," or, "Yes," would have been enough, but these things were for setting the mood. If I were to say the even more polite phrase, "Don't mind me," nothing would happen.

The NPC poured water from a water jug into an old-looking cup, setting it down on the table before me with a _clunk_. Sitting down in one of the chairs, I took the cup and drank its contents down in a single gulp.

With a slight smile, the missus turned back towards the pot. Despite something simmering, "not giving any food" was meant to be a small hint. Upon waiting a few more seconds the steady sound of a child's coughing could soon be heard on the other side of the door to the next room. This missus's shoulders seemed to fall in sorrow.

After waiting a few more seconds, a golden question mark finally appeared, shining bright above the lady's head. The sign of a quest activation. Without a moment's delay, I called out to her.

"Is there something troubling you?"

This was one of the many possible phrases used to accept quests from NPCs. Slowly turning to face me, the question mark over the missus's head blinked rhythmically.

"Actually, my daughter…"

And so she told her story. Her daughter had been stricken with a severe illness that was unfazed even when treated by the medicine from the market (this filled the contents of the pot), and there was no way to cure her other than to drink medicine produced from the ovules of predatory plant monsters inhabiting the forest further to the west of the village. The problem was, plants of that particular variety were extremely dangerous. In addition, those that actually produced the ovules were rarely seen, resulting in her complete inability to obtain any. If only a swordsman would retrieve it for her, she would gladly offer a one-handed sword passed down in her family as a sign of gratitude.

This was the general synopsis of the missus's speech that she gave with dramatic gestures as I listened patiently. The quest would not progress if her speech was not heard to the end, and I was unable to bring myself to harden my heart against the sporadic dry coughs of her daughter during her story, even if she was just an NPC.

The missus finally closed her mouth, and the tasks on the quest log displayed on the left of my vision refreshed to show my new objective. I stood up, nearly shouting, "Please leave it to me!" this line was unnecessary, but it was used to set the mood. I rushed out of the house and into the street.

Immediately after I exited the house, the bell in the plaza rang throughout the village, notifying me of the time. Evening, seven o'clock.

Just what was the situation on the other side right then? Needless to say, a huge uproar must have occurred. Beside me, lying down on my bed in my room with the «Nerve Gear» on my head, the figures of my sister or mother, or perhaps both, were probably there right about then.

_I wonder what they're feeling right now… shock, maybe? Doubt? Fear? Or maybe… grief?_

Even so, the fact that I was still there, within «Aincrad», was proof that neither of them had torn off the «Nerve Gear» in a foolish attempt to save me. In other words, they probably really believe in it. In Kayaba Akihiko's warning… and that I would return alive.

But in order to do that, there is no choice but for someone to break through the top floor of this floating castle that reaches up to a hundred levels, then defeat the monstrous final boss of a terrifying form that I couldn't even begin to imagine, to clear the game.

Of course, I had no intentions of attempting such a deed myself. What I should have been doing— no, the only one thing I was capable of— was to struggle for my life with all my might. That's it.

First of all, to become stronger. At the very least, on the first floor, regardless of the type and numbers of monsters coming at me, or perhaps, even to the point where I can protect my own life when a malicious player attacks me. That was my first goal. Anything beyond that would be thought about when the time came.

"I'm sorry, Mother. For making you worry… I'm sorry, Sugu. For letting something like this happen because of the very VR games you already hated…"

These words unintentionally left my lips, causing my eyes to widen a fraction in slight surprise. The last time I called my sister that nickname was at least three years ago, or maybe even earlier.

_If I survive and return, I promise I'll face her directly and call her, "Sugu" once again._

Thinking these thoughts, I passed through the village's gate, striding through the plains and towards the forest covered in the ominous night.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**This seemed like a good place to stop to me, so I decided to cut it off here. Hopefully this is an okay spot to stop to tide you guys over until the next update.**

**Speaking of updates, I put a poll up on my profile page that basically asks this: should I update as soon as I finish a chapter, or try to keep to a one-chapter-a-week schedule? I gave two options, one for each path I could take, so I was hoping that you, the readers, would be able to vote on that.**

**Keep in mind that if I just update as soon as I get a chapter finished, then I won't have as much time to do quality edits to make the story flow smoother. Also, if I update weekly, that will give you a time to expect chapters instead of just hoping that I'll release something soon. On top of those, releasing chapters as I finish them puts a huge strain on my inspiration to continue.**

**Well, I guess I just have to do one more thing before I let you go!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations other than a copy of Hollow Fragment's Taiwanese/English subtitled release, or anything/one that I use from them!**

**See you next chapter!**


	3. The First Day Part II

Sword Art Online: Reverse/Return

Chapter Three: The First Day Part II

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**In case you couldn't tell by when I published the last chapter in relation to this chapter, I've decided to publish these things once a week on every Saturday. Thus, I'll be able to build up a reserve of chapters that I've already written in advance so that if I run low on inspiration, I can have a safety net of sorts.**

**Anyway, I'll let you read now. At the bottom note, I'll tell you when this chapter was completed, as well as when I revised it for publication.**

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><p>There was no sky in «Aincrad». Instead, the bottom of the next floor stretching out for a hundred meters was all that we had in exchange. Thus, the only times that the "real" sun could be seen directly were at sunrise and sunset. Of course, the moon followed suit.<p>

Even so, it's not as if daytime was dim and the night was pitch black. Area lighting is applied in a similar fashion to other VR spaces, ensuring that people will be able to see when battling. Even in the forest at night, while obviously not to the level of daylight, a pale blue light illuminates everything all the way to one's feet, posing no inconvenience even when running.

However, the gloom in one's heart is another matter entirely. Regardless of how much attention one pays to their surroundings, the fear that something could be right behind still surfaces on occasion. It was only at times like this that I would miss the security of playing in a party, but I was beyond the point of no return. Both in terms of distance, and what the system dictated.

The number of «Skill Slots» allocated to a level one player such as myself was a mere two. One of my slots had been filled with «One-handed Straight Sword» right after the start of the game at one o'clock earlier that day. I had intended to consider carefully what to put into the other empty slot, but after experiencing that terrifying tutorial and leaving the «Starting City» behind, the idea of messing around with skills had been completely wiped from my mind.

For solo players, there were several vital skills for survival. Among those, the most important were «Searching» and «Hiding». Each one of those two increased ones rate of survival exponentially. However, the former also increased the efficiency of hunting, while the latter's efficiency fell slightly in this forest due to a certain reason. As such, I chose the «Searching» skill, deciding to add the «Hiding» skill in my next slot once it appeared.

That said, those skills were not focused on much, as manpower already increases safety; the same effect could be achieved by spreading out the searching range when playing in a party. Thus, the moment I took up the «Searching» skill, I had already forsaken all paths other than the one where I would rush straight through as a solo player. At some point, I knew that this decision might come back to haunt me, but at the very least, it wouldn't for the moment.

On the edge of my vision, as I walked while thinking such things in a corner of my mind, a small colored cursor appeared, catching my attention. My reaction range was enlarged due to my «Searching» skill, and as such, I couldn't yet confirm the identity of the owner by sight. The cursor was of a red color, which identified it as a monster, but it had a slightly dark hue, perhaps closer to magenta than a plain red.

The shades of red that monster cursors came in could be used to loosely determine their strength in relation to your own. The cursors of monsters that the system estimated that one could never defeat no matter how much one struggles, those with an overwhelming disparity in level, were a dark crimson, darker even than blood. Most weak monsters, from which virtually no experience points can be gained no matter how many one slays, are a light pink, close to a pure white.

The cursor that appeared within my field of vision had a slightly darker than average red color. The monster's name was «Little Nepent»; however, despite the _little_ in its name, this monster was a walking predatory plant with a height of a meter and a half. Its level was three, hence the cursor appearing magenta to a level one player like me.

Although it wasn't an opponent to be made light of, there wasn't much cause for alarm, either. The yellow border surrounding the cursor indicated that it was the target for a quest.

I stopped walking for a moment, looking around for any other monsters in the immediate vicinity. When I confirmed that there were none, I turned to the «Little Nepent» once again and sprinted at it head on. Rear attacks were rarely effective against monsters without eyes such as this, as they used other means of sensing the area around them, usually in a three-hundred-sixty degree radius.

Moving off the path, I circled around a grand, old tree, the monster's form entering my sight once I made it around.

On its lower body reminiscent of the Nepenthes species, countless roots writhed about as it used them to move. Vines covered in pointed leaves twisted about its side. It had a giant mouth meant for consumption of prey near where its head should have been, the edges dribbling a viscous liquid as they snapped open and shut.

"… A dud."

Having seen what I needed to, these words left my lips in a soft whisper. Occasionally, one with a large flower blooming atop its giant mouth would appear. The key item needed for completion of the quest received at «Horunka», the «Little Nepent's Ovule», would only drop from such flower-bearing Nepents. Unfortunately, the rate of one with the flower spawning was likely less than one percent.

However, even the normal Nepents served a purpose. As long as one continued to slay them, the spawn chance of one with a flower will increase. As such, engaging one in battle was by no means a waste, but there was a more important point that couldn't be ignored.

At a rate similar to that of one with a flower spawning, a type of Nepent with a round fruit might appear. That one could be classified as a trap. If the fruit was struck in the heat of battle, it would break off with a deafening sound, releasing fumes with an unpleasant odor. The fumes possessed neither poisonous nor corrosive effects, exchanging those traits for a much more dangerous one. The fumes emitted from the fruit would draw other «Little Nepents» from the surroundings like moths to a flame, rallying them all against the attacking player. Not many would be summoned if the population of the area had been reduced, but given the current circumstances, countless numbers of the predatory pants would surely come and overwhelm me with sheer numbers, killing me in under a minute.

I focused my eyes on the area above the mouth of the «Little Nepent», and upon confirming the lack of any fruit, I drew the «Small Sword» from the scabbard on my back once more. It noticed me at the same time, raising its two vines up high in a threatening motion.

This monster's attack patterns included the use of the pointed edge of its ivy to slash and stab, similar to a dagger, and the disgorgement of corrosive fluids from its mouth. It had much more variety compared to the single-attack blue «Frenzy Boar», whose only attack was to charge wildly. Still, as it doesn't use «Sword Skills», it could be said to be easier than the demi-human mobs such as Kobolds and Goblins.

And above all, its attributes leaned a fair amount towards offense, leaving its defense weak. Even in the previous «Aincrad», I liked these types of monsters. After all, as long as you didn't take any hits, it was possible to take down several of them within a short amount of time.

"Shuuuuu!"

With that deafening howl spilling out from its pay-trapping mechanism of a mouth, the Nepent thrust its right vine towards me. In an instant, I read its trajectory, reacting just as fast and jumping towards the left to dodge. In one fluid motion, I stabbed it into the part joining the pitcher portion and its thick stalk –its weak spot.

A decent counter. The Nepent's HP bar shrank slightly, with a little over twenty percent having depleted.

Letting out a screech of anger once again, the plant inflated its pitcher, assuming the starting animation for the firing of corrosive fluids from its mouth. The range was at least five meters, making it impossible to dodge when retreating straight backwards.

Aside from HP damage and a drastic drop in equipment durability, the player's movement would also be severely hindered by the attack, should it make contact. However, its trajectory is limited to a narrow angle of thirty degrees in front, making it relatively easy to dodge.

After determining the timing at the last moment, the instant the expansion of the pitcher stopped, I jumped with all my might to the right. A pale green fluid shot out in a spray with a hissing sound effect, forming a white vapor as it showered onto the ground.

Having avoided getting a single drop showered onto me, I landed on the ground with my right foot and brandished my sword, dealing a hard blow to the same weak point. With a scream of agony, the Nepent's prey-trapping mechanism bent backwards as a golden glow encircled it. A «Stun» status. It might have been strange for a plant to be stunned, but there was no way in hell I could let this chance slip away.

Once again, I pulled my blade towards the right. Almost instantly, my «Sword Skill» activated, engulfing my sword in a pale blue light.

"Raaah!"

A shout of anger welled out of me as I violently kicked off of the ground. The single-hit, horizontal offensive technique to the neck known as «Horizontal». The only difference from «Slant» was the trajectory, but this way made it easier to aim for the «Little Nepent's» weak point.

Right before the plant monster recovered from the stun, with around fifty percent of its HP lost due to my earlier strikes, the «Sword Skill» gave its exposed stalk a straight slash. I had boosted the force to its maximum with the movements of kicking my foot and right arm. Glowing with a light effect, the blade cut into the tough stalk, facing what little resistance remained for only a moment before—

With a groan of pain resounding, the pitcher portion was sliced from the stalk, flying into the air by itself. What remained of its HP quickly changed to a red color as it diminished, before disappearing altogether as it reached zero. The «Little Nepent's» form froze in blue, then exploded into countless polygons.

My sword ceased its motion from the skill I executed as soon as the monster shattered. A window indicating the experience points received, twice that of the wild «Frenzy Boar», appeared right in front of me. A forty-second battle. If I were to continue at this pace, I would attain a fairly decent level of efficiency.

Lowering my sword arm to give it a rest, I surveyed my surroundings. Close to the limit of my searching range, several «Little Nepent» cursors arose. Those yet to be seen by other players.

Before others catch up to these hunting grounds, I had to level up as much as I possibly could. So much to that the monster population of the area became exhausted. That would be such a high level of egotism that it couldn't be marveled at, if I do say so myself, but this wasn't the time for the hypocrisy on a philanthropic solo player.

* * *

><p>After about fifteen minutes of constant fighting, over ten «Little Nepents» had been slaughtered by my sword.<p>

Unfortunately, one with a flower atop its mouth had yet to appear before me. In situations such as these, there is a "real luck dependency", as referred to in gamer lingo; in other words, it is reliant on the factor of luck the actual player has. In terms of quests, there haven't been many cases where I had been blessed with luck. Or at least, very few that I can remember.

No matter how irksome it is, players who can boast of their good luck, obtaining super rare items with drop rates of less than one percent one after another, succeeding in their equipment refining ten times in a row, and even getting along well with girls within games… as unlikely as it seems, these players really do exist. To compete with them, the only method available is simply to attempt these things over and over again…

Of course, regarding those attempts, I only mean the rare items and equipment refinement. I have absolutely no intention to continually spam greetings and pickup lines whenever I meet with girls.

And in the first place, due to what Kayaba Akihiko – who could be considered a god by all standards – had done, the avatars of the players had been matched with their real-life appearances. Thus, the population of female players in «Aincrad» would certainly have taken a sharp dip. I suppose it was helpful that one would have no need to doubt if the other party was actually a male inside, but it must have been quite the predicament for males intending to take up the role-play of a girl… or really, even females intending to take the form of a boy… choosing names and initial equipment to match. I can only hope that Kayaba prepared a name-changing item, or possibly a quest of something similar, for their sake.

Perhaps due to being ahead of schedule, as I thought of such things in a portion of my head, upon defeating the eleventh plant monster, a light fanfare rang out within my hearing. At the same time, a golden light effect enveloped my body. Along with what I had gained from hunting wild boars with Klein near the city, before this became more than a simple game, I had finally exceeded the number of experience points needed to level up.

If I were playing in a party, calls of congratulations would probably have been springing up from all around me at that moment. Instead, while listening to the rustling in the treetops of the old trees in the forest, I slid my sword back into the scabbard on my back.

I drew back my right index and middle fingers and swiped them downwards, pulling up the main menu window. Switching to the status tab and finding the three precious «Status Points» I added from my level up, I allotted one to Strength, and two to Agility. In «Sword Art Online», where magic does not exist, these two are the only visible statuses that could be manipulated by the player with each level up; thus, there was no need to hesitate in my decision. In exchange for this, a huge – and possibly infinite, as Kayaba said – number of skills, encompassing all sorts of battle-type and production-type abilities are in place. Hence, it would likely become a large cause of worry when the number of my skill slots eventually increased.

However, on that very day, to survive that single hour, I had to risk my life. There was no other option. Before thinking about the future, I had to ensure that I was adequately strong, level-wise, to make a so-called, "safety margin".

Finishing the status up process, I closed my menu. Then, from behind me—

Suddenly, some sort of stiff clapping rang throughout the area.

_What the hell?!_

I wildly jumped away, placing my right hand onto the handle of my sword. Getting absorbed in operating the status up window while in the field, letting down my guard from behind was a mistake even a beginner wouldn't make.

Berating myself mentally as I prepared for battle, what I saw upon turning around was a being that shouldn't have existed in this forest. A humanoid monster— no, wait…

_A human? And… the cursor…_

The cursor wasn't that of an NPC. It was the mark of a player.

A man slightly taller than myself, looking to be around the same age. His defensive equipment were the lighter armor and buckler sold at «Horunka Village». His weapon was the same «Small Sword» from the initial equipment. That said, his sword wasn't drawn. In a stance where his empty hands hung at his sides limply, he stared at me, slack-jawed.

_So the clapping was coming from this man— no, boy… he was just congratulating me on my level up._

After I took a short breath, lowering my hands, the boy showed an awkward smile, bowing his head down for a moment.

"S-sorry," he stuttered out. "For starting you like that. I should have just called out to you."

"Don't worry about it. Sorry for overreacting like that."

Mumbling these words as a reply, I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my coat. The boy, whose features gave a first impression of seriousness, widened his faltering smile. He made a gesture of sorts, bringing the fingers on his right hand up near his right eye. As he lowered his hand with an embarrassed expression immediately after, I realized that he must have worn glasses in the real world.

"C-congrats… on your level up. That was pretty quick."

I reflexively lowered my head in thought at the boy's words. They felt… off, as if he had seen through my thoughts of 'if I were playing in a party' from earlier. I shook my head from side to side in a flustered reaction.

"It's not that fast," I denied, before realizing something weird. "And if you're going to say that, you're fast, too. I thought it would be at least two or three hours before anyone else reached this forest."

He laughed nervously, putting a hand behind his head. "I thought I would be the first to arrive, too. The path to get here is rather confusing, after all."

The very instant I heard those words leave his lips, I finally noticed, although belatedly.

_He's the same as me…_

Not in terms of equipment and gender, which just happened to coincide. Nor as the position of being a prisoner in this death game of ten-thousand players.

The boy before me had knowledge of this world equal to my own. The location of «Horunka Village». The reason why it was better to stick to the initial weapon instead of buying a «Bronze Sword». The area with the largest population of «Little Nepents». They all pointed to one thing.

Like me, he was a beta-tester.

The world's first VRMMO game, «Sword Art Online», officially went online with ten-thousand people gathered as players that day, on November sixth, 2022. However, three months before that, offered to a mere one-thousand people, was the game's play trial. In other words, a beta test.

In that test flooded by tens of thousands of applications, that was the only time I had an unbelievable stroke of real luck (though it could be argued to be the opposite at this point), by being selected as a participant. The test period lasted the whole of august. With the summer vacation allowing it, I continued to «Full Dive» from morning to night. Well, to be more accurate, from the afternoon to early morning, I bustled about «Aincrad», which had not yet become a cage of death, in a daze, brandishing my sword and dying. Over and over again.

Through countless attempts, via trial and error, I accumulated an extensive amount of knowledge and experience concerning this world.

The small pathways and escape routes not shown on the maps. The locations of towns and villages, the stock their shops keep. The price and stats of the equipment sold there. The activation requirements of quests and how to complete them. The spawn areas of monsters, their powers, and also their weaknesses…

It was due to those bits and pieces of knowledge that I got to where I was alive— that is, deep within a forest, far away from the «Starting City». If I were a complete newbie who did not participate in the beta test, I wouldn't have given a single thought to leaving the city alone. The same could likely be said for the boy standing several meters in front of me.

There was no doubt that the one-handed swordsman with hair slightly longer than mine went through the experience of the beta test, just as I did. Not just how he knew the roads of this maze-like forest, but even the stance he adopted as he stood, showed a familiarization with the original VR engine used by SAO's beta.

The assumption I had developed to that extent within a few seconds was easily supported by a single phrase from the boy.

"You're doing it, too, right? The «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest, that is."

That was unquestionably the title of the quest I received at the private house in the village earlier. There was no more reason to deny it if he had already read my intentions that far. Upon the nodding of my head, he grinned while shifting his hand to those unseen glasses once again.

"That's a vital quest for one-handed sword users, so I'm not surprised," he continued, unintentionally letting on that he at least suspected of me what I knew of him. "After all, that reward, the «Anneal Blade», is good all the way up until the third floor's labyrinth."

"It's appearance isn't really much worth talking about, though."

As I added that bit in, the boy let out a bright laugh. After he finished, he opened his mouth after a short pause. The words that left it were quite different from my expectations.

"Hey, this is a rare chance. How about we work together on the quest?"

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**Chapter completed date: Monday, October 6****th****, 2014**

**Chapter revision date: Saturday, October 11****th****, 2014 (though it was at twelve at night. I was wide-awake from watching the Royals game!)**

**So, there you have it! It only took me a couple of days to finish this, and I finally introduced a new character other than Kayaba, Kirito and Klein! Sadly, he's a male, so he isn't eligible for Kirito's harem.**

**So, who is this new character? What are his intentions? What will happen to him and Kirito in the first night of SAO? All these questions will be answered in the next chapter!**

**Before I leave you with a disclaimer, I'd like to take the time to respond to a guest reviewer whose thoughtful comment felt like it needed responding to.**

**MagusZero: To answer your question, yes, that is a big reason why I set this story up that way. And also, I don't know if you've read any of the stories in **_**Insert New Name Here's**_**, **_**Fatal Error: System Reboot**_** story line, which has been rewritten quite a few times, but every single one starts out with time rewinding. Both them and I like to imagine that the Cardinal System does indeed have a lot of power, possibly enough to do something like rewinding time. So, in essence, it wasn't really Kayaba that had the god-like power, it was Cardinal. Regardless, I'm glad you were able to keep reading, regardless of your skepticism.**

**Okay, that's it! It's time for the disclaimer!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations other than a Taiwanese/English subbed copy of Hollow Fragment (and I'll definitely get Lost Song when it comes out in 2015), or anything/one I use from them!**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	4. The First Day Part III

Sword Art Online: Reverse/Return

Chapter Four: The First Day Part III

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**I would have gotten this out earlier today, but I had to write the notes at the top and bottom. Still, I got it out on time, so I guess it's fine!**

**To be perfectly frank, this is the last chapter in my reserve, meaning I don't have any to fall back on if I lose inspiration .From here on out, I have to write all-original material. I'm not finished with the next chapter yet, but I'm confident that I'll be able to get it out on time next Saturday.**

**Anyway, that's it for now! See you at the bottom!**

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><p>"<em>You're doing it, too, right? The «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest, that is."<em>

_That was unquestionably the title of the quest I received at the private house in the village earlier. There was no more reason to deny it if he had already read my intentions that far. Upon the nodding of my head, he grinned while shifting his hand to those unseen glasses once again._

"_That's a vital quest for one-handed sword users, so I'm not surprised," he continued, unintentionally letting on that he at least suspected of me what I knew of him. "After all, that reward, the «Anneal Blade», is good all the way up until the third floor's labyrinth."_

"_It's appearance isn't really much worth talking about, though." _

_As I added that bit in, the boy let out a bright laugh. After he finished, he opened his mouth after a short pause. The words that left it were quite different from my expectations._

"_Hey, this is a rare chance. How about we work together on the quest?"_

* * *

><p>"Huh? I think that it's an individual-only quest, though."<p>

This reply flew out of my lips so spontaneously. There were quests hat allow all members of a party to clear it by running through it together, and those that did not. The «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest belonged to the latter. There was only one of the crucial key item, the «Little Nepent's Ovule», and thus, only one would drop. Even when challenging it in a party, the number of items that would need to be collected for each member to get the reward item would have to be equal to the number of people involved in the end.

However, as though he had predicted my words, the boy gave me a smile. "Well, that might be true, but the chances of one with a flower appearing will increase if the normal ones get hunted down as much as possible. Pushing that to the extremes as a pair is more effective."

The situation was just as he said. I couldn't aim for monsters not by themselves as a solo player of my level, if we teamed up, we could go up against two of them at the same time. Along with the advantage of shortening the time choosing targets, the number that could be hunted down would increase accordingly. With that, of course, the chance of one with a flower appearing would increase in turn.

Just as I was about to nod my head in acceptance, I harshly stiffened my avatar up. I had thought about the right I had to form a party, after abandoning the cheerful cutlass-user, Klein… the first friend I made in the game, just a short hour or so ago.

The boy before me took my hesitation the wrong way, shaking his head in a fluster. "Don't worry, I won't make you join a party with me. You got here first, so I'll let you get the first key item. If we continue to hunt at the same pace afterwards, the second will definitely drop soon, so if you can stick with me until then…"

"Ah, you're right. Well then…"

With that murmur of a reply, I nodded my head. If we were to fight as a party, all drops would go not into our individual inventories, but a temporary one instead, technically giving ether one of us the ability to make off with the key item for the quest. That was probably what he thought was the source of my hesitation. Although, truth be told, that hadn't even crossed my mind yet, there was no worth in correcting him now.

At my acceptance, the boy laughed lightly once more, then stepped up and offered his right hand. "That's good to hear. Well, let's work well together for the time being. My name is Coper."

If he was originally a beta-tester like me, it wouldn't be all that strange if I knew him already. However, I had no recollection of his name.

But of course, there was always the possibility that he had changed his name from that of his name in the beta period. And either way, his name was not displayed on his color cursor, so I couldn't even really confirm if that was his real name or not. The same principle applied for me as well; however, I was terrible when it came to character naming, so for me, a person who simply used an abbreviation of his real name in various net games he had played before, making a false name on the spot was simply an impossibility.

Just before I replied, a strange feeling surfaced in my stomach, nearly making me fall to the ground. I heard a voice that sounded eerily similar to this boy's— no, it was his— introducing himself in different words.

"_That's good to hear. Well then, I'll be in your care for the time being. I am Coper."_

When I snapped out of my thoughts, I found him looking at me expectantly. I swallowed the feeling of unease in my stomach, taking his hand and giving it a light shake.

"… Likewise. I'm Kirito."

Upon the mention of my name, the boy, now known to me as Coper, lightly tilted his head to the side. "Kirito, huh? Just where di I…?"

Somehow, it looked like he indirectly knew me from the beta. Reflexively thinking that this might have a negative effect on our partnership, I immediately diverted the attention away from my name.

"We should get hunting," I said, voice betraying no emotion as I looked around for more «Little Nepents». "We have to get two «Ovules» before the other players get here."

Seeming to have dismissed the contemplation of where he had heard my name for the moment, he said, "Yeah, you're right. Let's go for it."

No more words needed to be said, and with nods to each other, we targeted a pair of «Little Nepents» grouped together and dashed towards them.

* * *

><p>As expected of a beta-tester, Coper's prowess in battle was nothing to scoff at.<p>

He knew quite a bit about the distance to keep away while using a one-handed sword, the behavior the monsters exhibited, and the usage of «Sword Skills». In my opinion, he was focusing a bit too much on defense, but that was completely understandable, given the dangerous situation we were in. We settled into a routine with good synergy, with Coper first luring the target, then me striking at its weak point with all my might, reducing our prey into polygon fragments one after another as a pair.

The hunting went rather smoothly, but there was still one oddity that came to mind.

The entire time thus far, not once did we exchange a single comment about the situation that SAO was currently in. was Kayaba's proclamation the truth? If we died here, would we truly die in real life? Just how would this world turn out from then on? All of these questions and more must have entered Coper's mind as well, but there was no talk of anything beyond items and quests between us, from start to finish. And yet, despite that, our conversations really flowed naturally.

It must have been because both of us were heavy MMO addicts. Even if the world were to change into a death game, and the logout were to disappear, as long as we were in the game, it was time for quests and experience earning. We were likely beyond help by that point. However, thinking back on it, Coper, too must have applied to the beta test, so there was no question that his very core was that of a net gamer. To put it in laymen's terms, beyond the fear of death, we merely prioritized the urge to strengthen out characters—

_No. that's not it at all. It must be because… neither of us can face reality yet._

Leveling up efficiently, exhausting the spawn rate; even if we went through these near-sighted actions, our thoughts on the foundation were still in suspension. We turned a blind eye to the reality of the «Nerve Gear» discharging high intensity electromagnetic waves, frying our brains as soon as our HP reached zero. As an avenue of escapism, we simple aimed for the goal directly ahead without prior consideration. Thinking about it that way, the players who remained in the «Starting City» could even be said to be substantially more calm in their understanding of the situation. At least they were able to grasp the gravity of the situation fully.

However, if that was so, then the fact that I went up against deadly monsters like the «Little Nepents» constantly, fighting on my own free will, meant that I was completely unable to comprehend the current reality. Being unaffected by the anxiety of dying for real was the entire reason why I could still dodge the pointed vines and dangerous corrosive fluids, which were entirely capable of killing me off, with the slightest of movements.

The instant I realized that, a premonition came to me.

_Sometime in the future… if I continue on like this, I'll definitely wind up dead._

Actual death, in other words, the first rule of a death game; to not understand that rule was to not look out for the line that one must not cross. It was no different from walking along the edge of the cliff in the dead of a moonless night, entrusting all to fate as darkness kept you from seeing anything. Thinking back on it, exiting the «Starting City» on my own, stepping into this forest at night, when my vision would be far from its finest, was already a deed that bordered on extreme foolhardiness.

An intense chill ran down my spine, going all the way to the tips of my hands and feet and putting a stop to my avatar's movement.

At that exact moment, I aimed at the «Little Nepent» before me and swung my sword towards its weak point. If I had remained frozen stiff for even a split second longer, I would without a doubt have received a painful counter in return.

As I came back to my senses, the reactivated «Sword Skill», «Horizontal», sliced off the plant's stalk, ending my precarious situation. A shattering sound rang out, formless, glass-like flakes passed through me, scattering into the air.

Turning around, I saw Coper, who, fortunately, didn't seem to have noticed my abnormal behavior, battling another Nepent. Taking up five more seconds and annihilating the enemy without a single skill, he turned around with a sigh.

"It still hasn't appeared…"

As expected, his voice was laced with fatigue. Over an hour had passed since we teamed up. Although close to, maybe even a little over, a hundred and fifty Nepents had been taken down by the two of us by that point, the spawning of one with a flower had yet to occur.

To shake off the chills that were still reverberating throughout my avatar's frame, I gave my shoulders a firm jerk. "Maybe the rate at which it appears has been changed since the beta test," I pondered, frowning lightly. "This wouldn't be the first time I've heard of an MMO lowering the rate of rare drops after it officially goes online…"

"Yeah, that's true…" Coper replied despondently, before his tone changed to a lighter one. "So, what now? We did manage to level up quite a bit, and the durability levels of our equipment have dropped by even more, so returning to «Horunka» for now might be a good…"

When Coper trailed off after that point in his speech, a faint red light came to life under a tree a mere ten meters or so away from us. Rough and unevenly shaped polygon blocks were rendered, connecting to each other to form a fuzzy image. A sight I'm sure he and I were both used to – the spawning of a monster.

A Coper had just mentioned, we gained quite a lot of EXP from the excess farming we had done, with both of us reaching level three. A safe level to clear the first floor was around ten, from what I could remember of the beta period. Thus, even though it was still too early to proceed onwards, there was really no need to scramble for every single «Little Nepent» that spawned. The color of their cursors were changing from magenta to a regular red, only affirming our ascent in level.

The two of us stood still on the grassy patch, continuing to absentmindedly gaze at the spawning. Within a few seconds, the Nepent, number one-hundred and several tens, received a distinct appearance of its own, setting about on its path with its vines coiling about. A lustrous green stalk, the proof of its life in this world; a speckled pattern aborning its prey-trapping mechanism that was unique to it; and above that, glistening a toxic red even in this dismal lighting, was an enormous flower that resembled a tulip.

We remained silent, watching the creature in a daze for several more seconds before silently turning to each other.

"… —!"

With muted war cries, we swung our swords forth. With a vigor akin to that of a cat assaulting a mouse, we charged towards the flower-attached Nepent that had finally appeared and—

Right before engaging the creature, I made an emergency brake with both feet while restraining Coper from continuing with my left hand.

_Why?!_ His face showed this shout of a question. Answering him without words, I flicked out the index finger of my left hand to what laid beyond the one with a flower, not so far away.

It was hard to see through the many trees obstructing our vision, but the shadow of another Nepent could be seen in that direction. I spotted it thanks to my «Searching Skill» and my slightly improved proficiency at it. Perhaps due to not having taken up the searching skill yet, Coper had to strain his eyes through the darkness of the forest, taking several seconds to finally appear to have confirmed it by sight.

If the Nepent beyond the flowered one was a normal one, there would be no reason to hesitate in attacking; we could just slay the second one at the same time. But of all the absurd timings it could have appeared, a big lump just had to be hanging right above the second prey-trapping mechanism, gently swaying back and forth.

If said lump was a flower as well, I would have no choice but to retract my proclamation of my terrible luck. That said, the thing dangling on the end of the slender stalk of the second one was s spherical ball with a diameter of around twenty centimeters – a «seed». If even the tiniest of scratches were inflicted onto that, swelling out as if it would burst open at any moment, it would immediately rupture and cause foul fumes to spread out. These fumes would draw in swarms of raging Nepents, doubtlessly plunging us into peril from which we could not hope to escape, even with our levels raised.

_What should we do?_

I was lost. There was always the possibility of defeating the one with a seed without hurting said seed with my combat capabilities. However, that was not definite. If there was even the slightest chance of death, it would be best to be patient and wait until the ones with the flower and seed were separated, far enough away from each other that they would not both come after us.

However, there was a rumor that I heard during the beta period that added to our dilemma. If the «Little Nepent» with the flower, a precious, exceedingly rare monster that drops the key item for a quest, was left alone without being hunted down, it would change into the extremely dangerous trap monster, the one with a seed. Or, at least, that's what I heard back then.

It wasn't impossible; on the contrary, it certainly was a plausible tale. Even while looking on from the bushes, the petals of the flower on the Nepent, moving around about ten meters ahead, could be seen falling as they fluttered, a perfectly round seed growing out. If this continued, it would result in a group of two Nepents with seeds when counted with the other one there.

"What are we going to do…?"

I murmured this without thinking. The fact that I faltered here was proof that I had yet to draw the line between danger and safety. In this state of hesitation, falling back seemed to be the better, more rational choice, but at that moment, I was seriously questioning my rationality.

While I stood there frozen, as though afflicted by a stun-causing attack, Coper's low whisper reached my ears.

"Let's go. I'll draw the one with the seed's attention, so please finish off the one with the flower quickly."

In an instant, thousands of images combined with voices flashed through my mind, creating a movie of sorts that seemed far too real for comfort.

* * *

><p><em>Just ahead, the partner that I had unexpectedly gained, Coper, was skillfully handling the Nepent's assaults with his sword and buckler. Perhaps because he specialized in defense from the beginning, it seemed that he had enough control to face this way, even in the heat of battle. Giving off an aura of grave seriousness, with slightly narrowed eyes, he stared right at me.<em>

_Something in his gaze caused my feet to halt._

_What was it? Why was Coper looking at me with those eyes? As if they were filled with distrust, or possibly even pity._

_Easily fending off the Nepent's vine attack with his buckler, as Coper broke off the bout, he delivered a short line while looking at me as I stood, stock-still._

"_Sorry, Kirito."_

_He returned his sight to the monster, forcefully raising the sword in his hand above his head, blade glistening bright blue. He had activated a «Sword Skill». That motion… it was that of the single-hit vertical skill, «Vertical»._

"_No, he can't be…"_

_Even with the confusion caused by his earlier statement, I murmured this, mind numb._

_The upper portion of the stalk, a weak point of the «Little Nepent», was obstructed by a sturdy prey-trapping mechanism. As such, vertical attacks were ineffective. In addition, there was a reason, clear as day, why Coper should not be using a vertical attack right then. He should've been well aware of that._

_However, the skill he activated was already past the point of no return. His avatar, half-taken over by the system assist, kicked off the ground savagely, his glowing blade driving into the Nepent's prey-trapping mechanism – or, at least, what was above it: the wobbling, round «seed»._

BAAAN!

_That explosive sound shook the whole forest at a monstrous volume._

_That was the second time I heard this sound. The first was, of course, during the beta test period. At the time, one of the members of my party carelessly poked it with a spear, and due to the swarm of «Little Nepents» attracted by the odor, the four of us, all level two to three, died before we could even try to escape._

_Coper's «Vertical» continued past the smashed seed, slicing apart the Nepent's prey-trapping mechanism along with it and cutting through its HP gauge. The monster soon blew apart, but the vague green fumes left behind in the air and that horrible stench that reached my nose did not fade away._

_Facing Coper, who had avoided the fumes and jumped aside with vigor, I spat words out in a daze. "Wh… Why…?"_

_That was no accident. That attack was intentional. Coper smashed that «seed» of his own free will, bursting it open._

_The beta-tester who fought beside me for one whole hour repeated himself once more, averting his eyes away from my shocked gaze._

"_Sorry."_

* * *

><p>When I came out of whatever had happened to me, I saw Coper getting out from the cover of the bushes. Without thinking, I grabbed his wrist, pulling him back before he had the chance to go any further.<p>

"What is it?"

These words, their tone, only added water to the notion forming in my mind. That dream— the one that I just had— wasn't just a dream. Somehow, I knew. It was a scenario that would undoubtedly play out, should I let him continue with his plan. And somehow, I already knew his motives in both the dream… and reality.

"No. I'll take out the one with the seed," I said firmly, keeping a strong hold on his wrist. "You can get the one with the flower, and I'll let you have it."

"But why?"

These words— no, the tone they were spoken in— completely confirmed my suspicions. I continued to speak, undeterred by his question.

"You're tired. You must have thought it wouldn't have taken this long, and you're incredibly tired of killing them over and over with no results. You just want to get the item, go back to «Horunka», and complete the quest. I'm almost the same, so I understand…

"I understand why you wanted to kill me for the item."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**Completed: I don't remember, but it was before last week's chapter**

**Edited: N/A**

**Yeah, this marks the first divergence from canon. Trust me, it won't be the last.**

**I can't think of anything imperative for you to know other than that I won't be using the novels as a direct reference anymore. So, I guess all I have to do is give a disclaimer and let everyone get on with their lives!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations, or anything/one I use from them!**

**See you all next week!**


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